


Aftermath of a Thousand Heartbreaks

by Kaylessa



Category: Penelope (2006)
Genre: F/M, Introspection, because I love to imagine what people are thinking in quite moments
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-21
Updated: 2017-11-21
Packaged: 2019-02-05 00:47:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12783270
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaylessa/pseuds/Kaylessa
Summary: How does it feel, to hear someone tell the story of how you broke their heart? To an audience of kids?





	Aftermath of a Thousand Heartbreaks

She had the children rapt with attention, despite the fidgeting that was to be expected. Penelope was an excellent storyteller, laying out the events of her life in clear detail, but also not afraid to exaggerate the people and events in it to caricatures of the truth. Men breaking through a second story window to escape? The butler tackling them down afterwards with bright red sneakers? It was ridiculous, but it made the kids laugh, especially when Johnny added in his sound effects from beside her. He really enjoyed recreating “You Are My Sunshine” with her and all his terrible attempts at instruments he couldn't play. That got the kids up and joining in with miming and singing. But he couldn't help but dread what was coming. He wasn't ready to hear her version of the biggest regret of his life. And considering the way his luck at poker usually went, that was really saying something.

“...I wouldn't _dream_ of asking you to accept it,” she was saying, repeating her words from the day.

_No, no Penelope-_

“But this isn't me! The real me is inside here somewhere just waiting to get out!” She was gesturing grandly, exaggerating for her audience of nine-year-olds, but he could remember with painful clarity how raw her voice had really been at the time. She'd already been crying, he could tell. “And you can make that happen!” Like an extra twist to the knife, a few of the kids cheered at that. “Once the curse is broken, I'll be just like anybody else!”

_What if the curse isn't broken? What if...what if the curse can never be broken?_

She laid a hand over her heart, stating dramatically, “I told him I'd kill myself. I promised I would.”

Johnny'd been horrified to hear her agree to suicide almost _eagerly_ , and later on, when he'd had more time to process, he'd been so angry at her mother for just standing there and not uttering a WORD of protest at the idea! But he hadn't looked away. He couldn't tear his eyes away from her desperation when she'd asked him to...

“Marry me, Max, I said.” She was clutching both hands to her chest now. “Marry me!”

“Yeah! Marry her! Marry her!” Some of the kids took up the cheer before Penelope could quiet them down enough for the worst part.

“I can't,” he had to force himself to deliver his line loud enough for everyone to hear. It wouldn't be fair to the kids not to know what happened just because he had a hard time facing up to the cruelest two words of his life, even if they had seemed like the only answer at the time.

They booed. Of course they did. He really did deserve it.

Penelope shushed them again, and this time, her demeanor got serious.

“I told him to get out,” her voice was gentle, but carrying, and he could remember hearing the tremble and break in those words. “My mother and Wanda made sure he did, but I just sank to the stairs...”

Without even meaning to, Johnny reached over and took her hand, holding it tight. He couldn't stand to leave her alone at this part again.

“I felt the rush of a thousand heartbreaks...”

He leaned his head onto her shoulder, squeezing her fingers. _God,_ knowing it was coming didn't help.

The story went on and he shared his parts, going back and forth between them, with mostly Penelope telling the tale. Even at the end, when he had been approached at the Halloween party by two strangers, he couldn't help but snort to himself remembering Annie's “She's gotta pee, you got a bathroom?” She'd been as subtle as a _wrecking ball,_ but he'd been too stunned by the audacity to argue. And he sure as heck wasn't going to start now. Not with where it had landed him.

Sitting on a chilly hill with the woman he loved, watching her share and teach and just be with the kids, like she never could have done before, and glowing all the while.

He was always going to regret those two cruel, awful words, but here was a woman who he'd known was beautiful before she'd ever taken off a mask, before she'd ever stepped from behind a one-way mirror, and she'd forgiven him. She'd understood him, she'd forgiven him, and she was with him, and he sure as _heck_ wasn't going to start arguing now.

**Author's Note:**

> I adore Penelope, it's my favorite movie in the world and I've watched it on repeat so many times. But sometimes I wonder what Johnny must have thought and felt, as he sat next to her and heard her version of the story. I love to explore character thoughts in quiet, unspoken moments.


End file.
